Recovery from ZERO libido after Propecia

Hello, I am desperately searching for answers for help or advice. I took Propecia for about 1 1/2 - 2 yrs, kind of off and on (months I couldn't afford). I have absolutely zero desire for sex now. Literally nothing at all turns me on any longer.

It has now been since Dec since I stopped taking Propecia due to the obvious lack of desire for sex, and searching for insight in such places as this informative forum, which I am thankful for. I found so many similar stories. And I am so afraid this is going to continue forever. It is causing a serious problem in my relationship. She is a very attractive woman and I know myself and I never had this issue previously and am 29 yrs old.

My question is, are there any people on this forum that have had any success whatsoever with whatever type of regimen in recovering from this. Or, is it something that may just continue forever?

I recently asked my doctor for some blood work to be done. They have a lab there that I'm supposed to get a discount with as a patient. But, he's an old timer D.O., which it shouldn't make a difference if he is DO or MD, but twice now I have followed up and they are supposed to call for an appointment.

Re: Recovery from ZERO libido after Propecia

Hey, I’m genuinely sorry to hear about your situation man, I hope that you are able to sort things out.

If you believe Propecia caused these side effects, I would check out propeciahelp.com if you haven't already. From what I have seen, there isn't much available in terms of treatments, but I just checked and saw they are conducting some new in-depth studies on this phenomenon. Hopefully some good news comes from this and presents some more insight into the condition and potentially some treatments in the near future.

I personally believe there is a strong mental component involved in libido and sexual function, regardless of one’s physical condition. I personally experienced sexual problems in conjunction with some severe anxiety during the first month or so on finasteride. In fact I was basically not able to have sex for quite a while, and it caused some major relationship issues with my girlfriend at the time. After some thought, I realized I had doubted my performance, and basically constantly telling myself I can’t perform. After realizing this, I was able to stop these bad habits and basically get out of my own head. Gradually over the next couple weeks these problems went away and I haven’t had any other issues in 1.5 years.

I am NOT saying your problem is because it is in your head, because finasteride may definitely be the cause. However, libido lies entirely between the ears, and there is a strong mental component involved in feeling sexual desire. A poor state of mind hindered by anxiety and/or depression is a breeding ground for sexual problems, and they can persist for years. Most men who suffer from anxiety and/or depression have sexual problems, namely, lack of libido. Even men suffering from conditions such as hypogonadism (severe decrease in Testosterone production) often respond well to sexual counselling.

In addition to this, focus on things that are proven to increase libido. Regular, intense cardio and weight lifting are the two biggest. Clean up your diet and remove substances that can cause sexual problems such as tobacco/nicotine, alcohol and marijuana, eat fresh fruits and vegetables and remove sugars and salt. This sounds like obvious stuff, but in combination it can have a huge beneficial impact.

There isn’t currently any magic bullet that will fix things. Men with persistent symptoms don’t generally respond to hormonal modification treatments, and it sounds like a hundred different herbal treatments have been attempted with limited success. I would stick to the basics until more is known about the condition and the cause can hopefully be targeted directly.

Re: Recovery from ZERO libido after Propecia

I rarely reply to these posts because what works for one person could be a waste of time for another, but I'll let you know about my experience in case you'd like to apply parts of it to you own situation.

I started fin at 20 and took it until 25... I realized something was wrong when I took an attractive lady to my hotel room in Las Vegas and couldn't get hard. After that night, I began to slowly decrease my dosage until I came off completely, and ended up with a massive post-fin crash. Its now been 6 months since I came off and I am probably at 50%-60% recovered. Not great but much better than 0. Here's what helped me:

I started exercising everyday, and by exercising I don't mean playing tennis. I mean going to the gym and lifting heavy weights with few repetitions (6-10). To get your testosterone boosting you need to lift low reps and high weight. I feel hornier in general after going to the gym for a week, and my general disposition improves. For an extra boost of wellbeing I jog for 15-20 minutes whenever I can. When I stop exercising, I feel like ****. Another benefit of this is that you will start to look good, getting attention from women, and that itself can make u hornier.

I cut out most foods that I know are bad for me. Processed food, fast food, foods high in saturated fats, high sugar, high salt, soda, etc. I drink a lot of water, a lot of water and green tea, lean meats (red meat only once a week), fish, brown rice, sweet potatoes, etc.

I stopped drinking, I stopped partying until 3am, I stopped smoking weed, etc. And I try not to more than a reasonable amount. I try to wake up early and sleep early, and I try to be consistent so that my body knows when to rest and when to work.

I take a multivitamin for men, fish oil, Vitamin A for my skin and thats about it. I try to stay away (except for the green tea) from drugs that claim to lower DHT or be Anti-Androgens because that would be obviously counter productive to my recovery. This is difficult as you might seem like you are willingly letting go of your hair, but you have to make a decision on what you want, cause if your the type of person that is suffering from 0 libido from Fin, you probably can't have both your hair and your libido, some men can keep a balance, others have to choose.

I incorporate ginger in my diet as its a potent anti-inflammatory and I use minox on my hairline, thats about all I do for my hair besides staring at it in the mirror all day.

In the last 6 months my libido has recovered substantially as a result of these changes, and I think if you can incorporate any of these you are helping yourself. Diet, exercise, and abstaining from paranoia-wanking are the most important.

Re: Recovery from ZERO libido after Propecia

The stuff nohawk recommended will help with a lot of things... sometimes things like this are partly controlled by the mind.

I exercise, have a good diet, rarely drink, don't smoke, and I feel really healthy... the only thing I need to sort out if my sleep pattern (some days 5 hours, some days 10 hours!)

I know I was worried before I even popped the first Propecia tablet, and I felt my libido diminish slightly even then! Because of this, I honestly believe that a lot of the libido stuff is in the mind for many people... the internet is such a minefield of horror stories that it's easy to get it into your head that it's the pills, which will not help anyone.

Good luck everyone, hope your desire to shag comes back!

At the moment I am the most horny I have been for a long time... since I was a teenager in fact. I lost a little bit of my libido in the first week and I am only on week 2 and just want to hump everything!

Re: Recovery from ZERO libido after Propecia

This can't happen, it's all in your head. For more info, ask the expert, Exodus2011 who has never popped a pill of fin.

On a more serious note, I feel for you man. My libido is shot aswell. And stop with this "it's all in the mind" bullcrap. WTF, that's such bull****. I guess the random ball-ache is all in the mind too? My mind is so powerful that it made my cock bend!?

Re: Recovery from ZERO libido after Propecia

And stop with this "it's all in the mind" bullcrap. WTF, that's such bull****. I guess the random ball-ache is all in the mind too? My mind is so powerful that it made my c*** bend!?

Did you take a moment to read my entire post, or are you rejecting this notion based solely on principal? Do you disagree with the fact that libido is entirely perceived within the mind, and not by your penis? Also, erectile function is a response to triggers sent from your brain. I find it interesting that you insist the mind doesn’t play a role in any of this.

I believe that the rejection of this notion will severely hinder recovery for a lot of people suffering from persistent symptoms. As a very powerful example, I watched a show about a paraplegic gentleman who has absolutely no functioning below the waist. Over time, his mind was able to rewire itself to use one of his fingers as a surrogate penis, where he experienced similar sensation, had a healthy libido, and could even achieve orgasm with proper stimulation.

For a much more relevant example, take a look at the chart in this post, taken from a study done on finasteride. The mind is so powerful that even the mere suggestion of rare sexual side effects causes them to manifest in 5 times as many people than in a group who is not informed. That’s pretty powerful stuff.

In answer to your questions, yes your mind can absolutely cause random ball-aches. In the right conditions, your mind can cause severe pain anywhere in your body. Your mind can not cause Peyronie’s disease, but it is an extremely common condition occurring in up to 1 in 10 men. Finasteride has not yet been implicated in the development of this disease.

Again, I do not believe it is “all in the mind” (if you had read my post you would understand this) but I believe the symptoms can be managed and improved by realizing your mind plays a role. Recovery is impossible with the mindset of: “finasteride has permanently damaged my body and I won’t recover until someone finds a cure”. You may be waiting a long time for this. On the other hand, I believe that adopting a mindset of: “finasteride likely triggered these symptoms, but that doesn’t mean I can’t manage and improve them” is more conducive to recovery.

Re: Recovery from ZERO libido after Propecia

Obviously the drug is strong enough on its own to chemically cause serious damage to ones libido and proper functioning of the dick.... but the mind can still play a significant role in either exacerbating the problem or aiding in its recovery. I doubt that the mind is RESPONSIBLE for ED problems related to Fin, but yeah I agree that you can consciously either make matters worse for yourself or speed up your recovery.

On another more serious note, I have been trying to focus all my penile sensations away from my crotch and into my thumb. I chose my thumb primarily for its girth and my ability to mask boners by giving thumbs ups.

Re: Recovery from ZERO libido after Propecia

I finally decided to give fin a try after extensive research on side effects, success rates, etc. I took it last tuesday (1/4 Proscar) and began showering with Naz, and applying Minox twice daily. Felt side effects right away. Penis is slightly numb, hard to maintain an full erection, difficulty with arousal (ie physical stimulation needed), slight ball ache. I thought I should wait this out, maybe the body was just getting used to it. Side effects have persisted. Today I masturbated but had to take the computer to the bathroom, never really had to do that before. It was difficult and not as enjoyable. Tried to masturbate again an hour ago (tying to see if i can do it again, it was never a problem before). Penis went soft, fail.

After a week of fin, I've decided to stop taking it. Im throwing all my pills away. I really dont want to risk it. I have a beautiful girlfriend who I love very much. To not be able to please her in bed would be a huge sense of inadequacy for me, an inadequacy that supersedes the thought of being bald. Too bad really, I really enjoy having nice thick hair. Oh well, not the end of the world. Ultimately a fairly trifling concern anyway, there are so many things to be grateful for in life; having good hair is pretty low on that list.

Really hope these side effects do not persist. Ill keep you guys updated. Cheers.

Re: Recovery from ZERO libido after Propecia

Originally Posted by proscarred2

Hello, I am desperately searching for answers for help or advice. I took Propecia for about 1 1/2 - 2 yrs, kind of off and on (months I couldn't afford). I have absolutely zero desire for sex now. Literally nothing at all turns me on any longer.

It has now been since Dec since I stopped taking Propecia due to the obvious lack of desire for sex, and searching for insight in such places as this informative forum, which I am thankful for. I found so many similar stories. And I am so afraid this is going to continue forever. It is causing a serious problem in my relationship. She is a very attractive woman and I know myself and I never had this issue previously and am 29 yrs old.

My question is, are there any people on this forum that have had any success whatsoever with whatever type of regimen in recovering from this. Or, is it something that may just continue forever?

I recently asked my doctor for some blood work to be done. They have a lab there that I'm supposed to get a discount with as a patient. But, he's an old timer D.O., which it shouldn't make a difference if he is DO or MD, but twice now I have followed up and they are supposed to call for an appointment.

Has anyone any recommendations? Please...

Thank You

My Dr put me on T replacement. My t levels were low but not super low, yet I felt great for the first time in years. It is a serious thing not to be rushed into.

The downside was about 2-3weeks after treatment, I started losing hair. I was tempted to use FIN again (like once a week) but will probably pass on it. Good luck.